Not really a Damsel, but is in Distress
by Tears n' Pizza
Summary: "Have you ever wondered what it's like to be married to someone you don't love?" Sawada Tsunayoshi thought nothing could possibly be much worse than being forced to be the next boss of a mafia family, that is until a run away girl comes along and proves him wrong. "My fiance wants to murder me!" -insert OC-
1. The Damsel

Arranged Marriage.

Whoever started that silly tradition was probably a sadistic bastard who finds pleasure in making people's lives a living hell, passing it on to others because where's the fun in that if your generation was the only one to experience the sufferings of marrying someone you don't love, right? If you take a closer look at it, it wasn't really bad compared to how Louise describes it.

Louise Brienne, soon-to-be Kolovisky.

Honestly back then, Louise did not really question the family's tradition that continued on for centuries, her fate being already tied to someone the moment she was born wasn't really much of a bother for her. She knew it, even at a young age, that she is to go through the same process as her mother and father- they did tell her when she was just 8 years old that she is bound for a _perfect_ noble man, as what she is in their eyes. They loved their only child very much, and Louise did too, that's why she never doubted the decisions they made for her, even when it comes to something big like being engaged at the early age of 14. Still, sometimes she would ask the two if they really do love each other and every time she did, they would only change the subject with awkward smiles etched on their faces. Louise is just a curious young lady after all.

Her parents only wanted what was best for their lovely daughter, taking it in their hands to find the most suitable husband for her. Of course, being born with noble blood running through one's veins wasn't just enough, high ranking families always had certain qualifications when it comes to choosing their future in-laws.

And _love_ is definitely the last thing that's ever taken into consideration.

Funny, because the said feeling is what she actually craved the most, she wanted to experience it, that kind of love she felt in those fairy tales where the princess finds her prince and lives happily ever after together with him. Her mother would always tell her,

" _You will meet your Prince Charming soon, Louise."_

And she did.

At least she thought she did, the crazy _psychopath_ was good at deceiving people with his angelic looks and gentleman acts. Louise knows however, he is anything but a charming prince,

Luka Kolovisky

Normally, the bride and groom weren't allowed to see each other before the day of the wedding, well in most cases anyway. But this was different, Louise had already met him when they were children, he is a son of one of her father's close acquaintances. They weren't relatively close, seeing that the boy was a few years older than her, but hey, age didn't matter in arranged marriages. Louise was only thankful that her parents did not decide to send her off to a middle aged man, unlike what happened to Josie.

Yes, Josephine Every; her parents agreed to a marriage proposal with a Lord Henry or something like that, an old Baron in a neighboring country and Josephine is to move there after their wedding ceremony. She was only 16, and Louise still shudders at the thought of her friend staying under the same roof as that pervert— she could feel the distress in poor Josie's writings whenever they did exchange letters. Nothing matters in arranged marriages after all, as long as both families could benefit from each other, one's true colors or mental state is out of the question.

" _Aren't you going to spare Miss Louise? She can be of use to us in the future."_

" _Hmm, you do have a point. Maybe I will, for a few years."_

Right, who would have thought that her fiancé was a sick maniac who planned the death of her parents- _scratch that_ \- her whole family, yes, including her. He did say he was going to keep her alive but who knows? When he finally gets bored of her he'd dispose her like the mere pawn that she is in his game.

And for what?

Wealth? Title? Position? Every riches her family had in life? The Brienne's don't really own _that much_ and if anything, her parents were one of those of people who used their money for charity and to help those who are in need. That must be it—it was because they're _too_ gullible that they don't realize they were being taken advantage of.

Humans sure are greedy.

" _Oh love, what are you doing there?"_

" _U-uh- I- I- have you seen Freya anywhere? I've b-been looking for her all day, I-I'm… worried."_

Louise cursed deep inside for being a stuttering mess, hell she was trembling to her core when she tried to put on a brave face! Who wouldn't? Especially when you just found out that your loving, polite, and charismatic husband-to-be was a big fraud. His sweet nature was just a façade, to lure them into his carefully-crafted web and strike them when they're most vulnerable. And look at this, his _most_ trusted adviser is also in behind the scenes with him, silently waiting for the right time to attack their unsuspecting prey.

" _Maybe she's outside? I saw her just a while ago,"_

God, she wanted to wipe that bright smile off his face, if only she could. She gives them a worried look before glancing the other way,

" _Thank you, Antoni, I'll go check. T-tell me if you ever see her running around here, okay?"_

She tried her best to stay calm and act like she wasn't in any hurry, but failed when she started bolting through the large hallway, leaving the two men behind. She only hoped that the idea they had in mind for her sudden panic was because of her fluffy, black kitten, and not because she overheard them and the little scheme they had in store for the Brienne family,

" _Sir, do you think she..?"_

"… _Perhaps. But Louise is just like her mother, beautiful, elegant, and_ _ **naïve**_ _, Even if she did find out, who is she going to tell?"_

Louise Brienne was screwed. She was only 14. Her fiancé obviously went bonkers in the head for some reason. Her parents were too busy _and_ excited for their little daughter's engagement to even notice that their future son-in-law is completely mental. This looked like a situation that only happens in films and books so it's really impossible for her to do anything because, in all honesty, she really had no idea what to do! Oh and yeah, she could die any time soon if she makes the wrong move. Everything seemed surreal that she could feel her whole world slowly crumbling down, after all,

What was a 14 year old noble like her, who had never encountered such situation like this before, who is also undeniably desperate, and who possess a large amount of cash, is to do?

And then like an imaginary bulb, an idea lights up in her mind.

A Hitman.

* * *

It was particularly quiet today, Sawada Tsunayoshi mused as he walks down the street with his best pals, Gokudera Hayato and Yamamoto Takeshi- the two were having their usual loud yet friendly spat. At times like these, explosions made by Lambo's weapons and some new member of the mafia would come barging in to terrorize his once tedious life, before surviving another day yet again thanks to Reborn's Hyper Dying Will bullet and some inspirational quotes he probably found in the internet.

He does enjoy it though, a small smile forms on his face as he secretly admits it within himself. If it weren't for Reborn, he wouldn't be able to meet these amazing people right now, he wouldn't be able to make a move on Kyoko or even strike a little conversation with _his_ angel, he wouldn't be able to laugh out loud like this with a bunch of friends as they walk home together every day, he wouldn't be able to learn some life changing lessons from Reborn nor get stronger and be able to protect his _family_ —

Without Reborn, he would still be the No-Good-Tsuna from back then.

There was still the issue of his failing grades but that besides the point-

"Tsu-kun! You're home!" His mother, Sawada Nana, greeted happily as soon as he arrived at his house, Gokudera and Yamamoto following in suit after greeting the beaming woman back.

"Oh! I forgot to mention, we have a rather lovely guest with us today! Reborn has such pretty friends, ne?" She sighed dreamily and her son only gave her a questioning look,

" _Friend-?_ " Tsuna immediately shuts up after he realized that it was probably one of Reborn's love-obsessed stalkers again, Bianchi was already enough to send him, and Gokudera, to the hospital with severe stomach aches and he didn't want any more of that.

"They're upstairs. Be nice, okay?" His mother's last words before she merrily strolled into the kitchen.

Tsuna could only wonder, who is it this time? Another beautiful and sexy woman who had unnatural abilities that could muder anyone? A handsome and very skilled assassin in a mask sent to finally get rid of the Vongola 10th? Or maybe it was an adorable child who hides their dark intentions behind cutesy talk and all? Lambo and Ipin are just kids after all yet one wouldn't expect them to be able to blow up a large neighborhood, Lambo was still a hitman of the Bovino family and Ipin's highly skilled in martial arts, also, there's Reborn.

Only one way to find out, Tsuna readied his self as he grabbed the door handle to his bedroom—

" _S'il vous plait!_ **(1)** I'm begging you!"

The scene slowly unfolds in front of the young Vongola as the door fully opened: there was Reborn, quietly sipping his afternoon tea, and a kneeling girl who had her head bowed so low that it reached the floor.

It was worse than Tsuna had imagined.

She was worshipping him!

"Oi Tsuna, I can read you like an open book you know." Reborn called out before throwing a black book straight to his face and of course, Tsuna being the clumsy idiot that he is, didn't even manage to dodge it.

"B-boss!"

"Tsuna! Are you okay?"

The sudden commotion caught the girl's attention and she quickly lifts her head up, turning to look at them all at once. To say Tsuna wasn't mesmerized was an understatement,

" A-ah, _Je suis desolee!_ **(2)** "

"W-what?" Tsuna rubbed his swollen face, brightly red from both the hard throw of his tutor and from the girl's delicate features. She almost looked like a porcelain doll, from her tiny nose, well-shaped face, to her glittering, purple eyes, she was obviously not Japanese, especially her accent and the _language_ she just used.

"Who are you?!" Gokudera shouted in a threatening voice as he approached the said girl, his hands reaching for the bombs hidden inside his uniform. Oh god, Gokudera you don't just intimidate random people by pulling dangerous explosives out of nowhere. Good thing Yamamoto's usual laid back attitude, and his cheerful smile that seemed to piss off Gokudera every time, was enough to ease the tension in the room,

"C'mon guys, let's all calm down!"

"Don't tell me what to do baseball head!"

"Please, Gokudera-kun-"

"But tenth! This person just went inside your house like she owns the place!"

What a lie.

"I actually invited her in, Gokudera."

Everyone's now facing Reborn, the boys' eyes had the look of confusion in them and the girl well, was still waiting for his response to her _rather_ morbid request. Reborn wasn't an indecisive type of man, once he makes up his mind to do something or not, it was final. And so is his reply towards the girl,

"Sorry, but you have to wait in line. I can't leave until I make a decent boss out of Tsuna."

Louise honestly had no idea what he was talking about but she understood his answer through those words of his,

"B-but! You are the strongest hitman, Reborn! I've heard of your countless _works_ before! No one could possibly be better than you! I- I-

I _need_ you!"

Oh boy, if Bianchi was here she would go on a rampage at the thought of her lover having an affair with another girl and would unleash her wrath by using her poison cooking. In short, it would create a huge mess,

"Are you… confessing your love? To Reborn out of all people?!"

Tsuna could only scream, he couldn't believe that a tiny baby was a better chick magnet than him,

"Tsuna don't be dumb." Came Reborn's irritated tone, the sun arcobaleno had the urge to shoot Tsuna in the head _again_ for coming up with something so ridiculous, but decided to save it for later as he clarifies things with a blunt voice,

"She wants me to shoot her fiancé dead."

"WHAT?!"

* * *

 **(1)** _'Please'_

 **(2)** _'I'm very sorry'_


	2. Hope

**Author's note:**

I can't believe I wrote this lmao- this was just a little idea I came up with and the inspiration is actually from one of my old fan fics back then (which is a Kuroshitsuji/Hitman Reborn crossover) Sorry if the introduction seems rushed but I was really eager to publish this.

Thank you to those who put this story in their favorites and follows, especially to those who reviewed, I appreciate it!

And you guessed it right, Louise is French. More stuff about her will be revealed in the future chapters and I promise to write longer ones.

* * *

"I'll double the price- no, _triple_!-" Louise holds up three of her fingers to show him how serious she was about this whole matter, contemplating about raising another finger to quadruple the pay, maybe then the hitman would finally agree to her terms. How much do hitmans cost anyway? The question was left unanswered when she pushed it at the back of her mind- desperate time calls for desperate measure.

"Please wait! Just hear me out!" Louise did make a mistake: flying to Japan without any notice and just suddenly asking the hitman to blast her fiancé's brains off was one. She owed him at least a short explanation before asking for such request. Louise was quite surprised though, she expected to see a seemingly abandoned building or a huge and expensive-looking office as the hitman's _hidden_ quarters, not a simple home with a woman who has a warm smile on her face as she opened the door for her. Maybe it was a part of his disguise?

* * *

"Am I at the right place or...?" Louise muttered to herself as she examined the house standing in front of her. She made sure that the information she gathered regarding the whereabouts of the infamous 'Hitman Reborn' came from a liable source, leading her straight to this small town in Japan called _Namimori_. It was much different than most of the spy movies she had watched beforehand, which wasn't much since her mother would always tell her that those kinds of films were full of violence and certainly not suited for a noble lady like her. Finding her mother's warnings ridiculous now, she ignored her growing feeling of doubt and softly knocked on the door.

 _'I guess assassins do prefer low profiles.'_

"Are~? May I help you?" Inside revealed a young woman with short, brown hair, staring curiously at her with eyes of the same color. Louise immediately composes herself as she bends her knees forward and bows her head gracefully in front of her.

" _Bonjour_ **(1)** _madam_ ," The woman was completely dumbfounded at her actions- the way she cocked her head to the side as she sent her a charming smile, Sawada Nana could only stand there speechless at the girl's rather captivating beauty. Everything about her just screamed _royalty_ , leaving Nana blushing slightly at the title she just used to refer to her,

 _Madam._

"Does Mr. Reborn live here?" Tsuna's mom quickly smiled at her in acknowledgement, realizing that she was probably one of Reborn's friends who came from another foreign country too, just like that handsome fellow named Dino.

"Oh! You know Reborn-kun?"

"Well… sort of. Can I speak to him?" Nana only nodded as she welcomed the girl with open arms into their residence.

"He's upstairs- ah, would you like some tea?"

"Yes, that would be lovely." Louise smiled in delight at her generous offer. She heard that Japanese people were absolutely nice, excitement bubbling up inside of her for she would be able to experience their hospitality, even though she believed that everything here was just a stage with actors fulfilling their parts. She was very glad that she could finally put her language skills into use now, her hard work during those spiteful days and lessons might actually pay off. Being able to speak in different tongues doesn't just happen over the night, it took her years of learning and yet here she was, still not fluent enough and had a lot more to go. She even had this habit of mixing the languages together as she spoke back then,

"I'll just bring it in after it's done. He's in Tsuna's room, first one to your left." Nana told her, interrupting Louise from looking around before she assessed her surroundings.

' _Nothing's out of the ordinary, this woman plays the 'caring housewife' role perfectly well too. It wouldn't probably hurt to go along with it.'_

"Thank you. I hope I'm not intruding." Nana shakes her head at her guest's words,

"Not at all, Reborn-kun's _friends_ are always welcome here."

At that moment, Louise almost forgot how well trained this actress was because of that genuine smile of hers.

* * *

She did not really know what to expect out of the hitman—her imagination led her to a mysterious looking, young man dressed in fine clothes that hides beneath the shadows as he cautiously interacts with his clients. The said hitman _is_ wearing a suit alright, but this..?

"Reborn! W-who is she?" The brown haired boy yelled towards the kid as he pointed a finger at her. Louise tilts her head as she got a closer view of the group,

' _Are these his assistants too? They seem so young though. Wait-'_

"Sir… please let me explain, I was wrong too." Louise pleaded as she focused back at Reborn, she came here all the way from France and she wasn't going to let a bunch of men stray her _and_ the hitman away from the subject.

"Did you just call Reborn _sir_?!"

Tsuna was clearly losing it the more he listened to the girl—her formality was just too much for him that it makes her seem like she straight up came out of the 19th century, well at least her attire looks decent and modern enough in his eyes.

"Yes, I did. Is there any problem with that?"

"Ahaha, isn't that too much for a baby?" Yamamoto's laugh caused the girl to flash him a confused look- it was like he's implying that she just said something stupid. Did she..?

This is obviously a set up right? No way that this child right here is _the_ hitman Reborn. He must have used some kind of technology to have this dummy move and talk like a normal human being, to conduct his business for him. After all, hitmans are careful enough not to expose themselves right? Right.

"You're French?" Gokudera, who's leaning quite protectively near _his_ tenth, asked when he finally figured out the language she used earlier. Louise faced him momentarily to nod before going back to Reborn again,

"I have my reasons why. I couldn't just hire any hitman, you're exceptional, as what I've been informed. That's what I need right now, someone who could do the _job_ neat and precise."

"You mean killing your fiancé?! What is wrong with you?!" Tsuna clenched his hair tightly, suddenly having the urge to pull them out because another weird one appeared in his life, _again_. It was like he had this invisible magnet around him that attracted nut jobs all over the world—

"Eh? Why would you want to do that? Don't you love him?" It was really hard to tell if Yamamoto was, for once, serious with his question- especially when he had that usual idiotic look on, it was either he found the girl joking or he was just really curious.

Louise casted her eyes down as she turned her head away, a strained smile soon made its way to her face. She wanted to laugh at his statement,

' _Love'_

Now that she pondered over the thought, she never really had the chance to do what she wanted in life and decide for herself. It was always her mother who did that, or if not, her father. Louise suddenly felt a sickening churn building in her stomach, it was like…

She was actually starting to dislike what her parents had chosen for her.

No.

She wouldn't.

She couldn't.

Everything they have done up to now was all for her, because they loved her, and she loved them back. She couldn't act like an ungrateful child now, it wasn't like she hated all those piano lessons and those tight corsets they forced her into to look more of a lady, it wasn't like she didn't enjoy those tiring parties that were held every week for the exposure of the Brienne family, it wasn't like she'd rather travel all around the globe to explore the world instead of settling in with a lunatic Russian man at an early age.

"Yamamoto's right! W-why… why would you want to hurt someone you love?!" Tsuna flailed his arms around, hoping to get his point across Louise's seemingly thick head. He didn't really want to judge the girl, it was just their first meeting after all, but hating on someone to the point that she'd hire another person to do the dirty work for her? It doesn't make any sense, Tsuna thought angrily as he pursed his lips together. They are talking about a real-life human being here,

"I-I, um- I…" For the first time, Louise is actually having a lot of trouble trying to convey her feelings into proper words, especially with the accusing stare Tsuna gave her. She would be lying if she said she didn't want to poke those eyes out, it was starting to annoy her greatly.

"Tch, looks can be deceiving, Tenth." Gokudera snarled, slowly making his way towards Louise. Yamamoto can sometimes be a dumbass but he knew how to read the atmosphere, and it was definitely not getting good anytime soon,

"Gokudera, wait—" He placed a hand on Gokudera's shoulder but the silver haired youngster only brushed it away as he huffed in irritation,

"Don't touch me, this girl _needs_ to go."

Louise is a calm and collected young noble lady, at least that's what she tells herself when her temper is at its breaking point. She has never really dealt with someone like Gokudera Hayato before, she was always surrounded by grown-ups, and only a few selective children were able to make contact with her back in France, their attitudes weren't much of an issue for her or her parents. They were respected, looked up to, no one even talked bad about them nor spread any nasty rumors behind their backs, none that she ever heard of anyway, and it wasn't because of their title but it was how her parents treated everyone.

So having this… this arrogant bastard with the crappiest octopus shaped hair ever, talk to her like he knew everything about her and treat her less than what she deserved as a normal person, was enough to make her blood boil.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

...

..

.

Louise quickly gasps as she puts a hand over mouth, suddenly feeling quite ashamed for her outburst. She wasn't supposed to lose her cool like that, she was taught how to control herself when it comes to circumstances like these, but…

Louise clears her throat and glances at the hitman with furrowed eyebrows,

"Sorry for the bother, thank you for your time." She bows her head before quietly going for the door, Tsuna and his company gaping at the short girl as she left his room.

"Stupid—how dare he… that…" Louise mutters to herself all the while gritting her teeth, balling up her fists as she imagined punching the _octopus boy_ in the face. She tried her very best not to let him get to her but Gokudera has this bad habit of being a douche to everyone around him, well except for his boss, and Reborn for that matter.

"Leaving already?" Nana asked in surprise when she saw Louise descending down the stairs, it was still too early and the tea wasn't even ready yet. Louise sends her an apologetic smile and says,

"I'm sorry, I forgot I still have a lot of things to take care of. Thank you very much for your hospitality."

Louise hastily makes her way through the household, eager to get back to her hotel because of the frustration that was slowly building up inside of her and the anger that has yet subsided. Nana, oblivious to the girl's foul mood, smiles in a sweet manner,

"It's no problem! Come visit any time, ne? You're always welcome here."

Louise stops on her tracks, looking back at the woman as she carefully studies her face. She wasn't an expert when it comes to facial expressions but she couldn't detect any signs of deception, only pure kindness of a woman who was expecting her to come back like she was a child of her own. Louise chuckles at this, at this woman's amazing ability to act like the innocent person that she is, she almost wanted to believe that her words and actions towards her were real.

"I will."

* * *

"You're guilty." Reborn pointed out when he saw his student staring blankly at Louise's now empty spot,

"I'm not! I- It was just—"

"You don't need to feel sorry for that woman, tenth. She could be a hitman too for all we know." Gokudera instantly cuts him off, Tsuna only nodding in agreement that maybe his friend was right.

"I-I guess so…"

But something deep down was nudging at the young Vongola and his assumptions, that somehow Gokudera was wrong and that there was so much more to the girl's current situation that made her desperate.

" _You don't know anything!"_

The moment those words left her lips, the way she reacted and trembled when she tried to keep herself together, it was clear to him that her intentions were not that of a hitman. At least that was what his gut feeling was telling him.

* * *

"You had us worried!" Louise's mother grabbed her by the shoulders before squeezing her in a tight hug when she was sure that her daughter was back in one piece with zero scratches.

The sun was already setting when Louise arrived at the mansion, constantly blaming the hotel she was staying in for causing her delayed flight. She sighed at her mother's fussing,

"I'm fine, see?"

Honestly, her parents' overprotective behavior was starting to suffocate her, not that it didn't when she was just a child. Of course, she would never admit that in front of them. Providing them with information such as the hotel's exact location, her room number and what business she has at an Asian country still wasn't enough, Louise even thought that it was miracle that they allowed her to go by herself. Luckily, they bought her lie that she only wanted to see another country one last time before living with Luka.

"It's been a long day, I'll be retiring for now."

"Alright dear, do tell us all about Japan tomorrow. I wish you the sweetest dreams."

After a quick kiss on her mother's cheek and a gentle pat on the head from her father as their usual nightly gestures, Louise proceeds to her own room where she immediately hits the covers, enveloping herself in the soft comfort of her large bed. Ignoring the messy state of her remaining luggage and forgetting to have a change of clothes, she finally drifts into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

It was in the middle of the night when Louise heard the shouts.

She wasn't a light sleeper, something just suddenly tugged at her being, bringing her back into reality and away from her good sleep. At first she thought that she was still dreaming as she unconsciously rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes, but the loud and persistent banging outside her door indicated that this was all really happening. Louise didn't even have the time to react when the door came crashing down- there stood an old, brawny man with two more guys behind him.

"There she is."

"W-who are you?!" Louise scrambled to the other side of the bed as she tried to fight off the intruders, but to no avail, they were larger and stronger than her.

"Let go!" She screeched when one of the men wrapped his muscular arms around her neck and waist, trapping her as she was forcefully dragged out of the room.

"Mother! Father! HELP!"

"Shut up!" The man bearing her captive growled as he tightened his clutch on her, making her gasp for air as she clawed at his arms, hoping to at least loosen his hold because he was obviously strangling her to death.

"Don't hurt her! Please!" Her father's pleas and the hopeless cries of the other residents in the mansion filled the whole place. Louise swore she could smell something burning but even then, she didn't want to find out.

"STOP!" A woman's deafening wail pierced through the silent night before a single gunshot caused it to stop. Dread was starting to consume Louise as soon as she realized whose voice it was,

"MOTHER!?"

"I said shut up!" The man roughly yanked her away together with the other two to god knows where and Louise could only kick her legs as she struggled for dear life. She needed to act fast,

"Yeouch!"

Okay, she was clearly not thinking and that was the stupidest thing she's ever done but hey, that was a fast way to escape the man's snake-like grip: by biting his arm like she was some crazy cannibal hungry for flesh. She tried to tear the skin apart but it only earned her a hard smack on the face,

"You piece of-!"

Everything happened in the blink of an eye- the man striking Louise in the face twice, the sheer brute of strength caused her to lose her footing and balance before she tumbled down from an open window. Louise could feel the chilly air against her skin on her way down before her body came in contact with the hard ground.

"Oh shit!"

"Why the hell did you do that?!"

"Bitch tried to eat me!"

"You'll get a whole lot worse than that if he finds out what you did."

"Just go fucking get her!"

Louise gazed at the stars in the clear, pitch black sky as she lied still in her place, her body refusing to move no matter how hard she tried to. She let out a loud whimper when she attempted to lift a hand, everything seemed to hurt so much that she wished she could just be numb all over. It was surprising that she was still alive, they were at the second floor of the mansion after all,

"Gh- ...H-h..."

"A- Haaa- H..."

She opened her mouth to try and scream for help but only heavy pants and sounds of painful breathing came out, making her choke badly as she rolled to her side.

"Where the fuck is she?!"

"Somewhere there! Keep looking!"

The frantic shouts of the men from earlier echoed in the cold evening.

What now? Is this what Luka has been talking about? Has the time come where he finally decides to execute his plans? They weren't even officially engaged yet, no party, no announcement, what the hell is he doing? Did he really think he could just casually snatch up whatever he wanted after getting rid of them? A noticeable grin slowly forms on Louise's face,

"W-wrong m-m-move…"

Louise coughed out, giggling a bit at her fiance's little mistake before she stopped because of the sudden twinge in her chest. She knew… that Luka somehow slipped up in moving his pawns across the board, he was an impatient man after all. He would always win in a match against her whenever they did play chess, but not before Louise manages to eat some of his pieces. She could say that she was still an amateur when it comes to games like these but at least she knew how to play them and keep up. And that was what she's going to do, turn the situation into her advantage.

But how..?

Soon enough, Louise caught sight of smoke erupting from the top of the mansion, before it grew into a massive cloud of gray that seemed to engulf the starry sky. The faint smell of burnt wood was getting stronger and Louise could only stare at the ablaze where her home stood as the fiery flames slowly devoured it.

"Have you seen her?!"

"Not yet, she couldn't have gone that far!"

Louise mentally screamed at herself to stand up and run but her whole body felt like it was on the verge of shutting down, her heavy lids threatening to completely close before they fluttered wide open when realization hits her like a truck.

It wasn't too late- she still had another option left and she decided that she'd take her chances, no matter how small and slim they may be. She forced herself to get up on her feet, paying no attention to the intense pain she was experiencing. Legs wobbling a bit, she managed to support herself using the trees as she made hushed and steady steps to her new destination.

That's right, there was still some hope for her.

 _"Come visit any time, ne? You're always welcome here."_

* * *

 **(1)** _'_ _Hello'_


	3. The Hunt

**Author's Note:**

Omg you guys, I haven't even thought about the pairings here yet, I was thinking of AllOC or something because it's still undecided. Btw, this one's gonna follow the anime arc, after the Varia and Ring Battles so yeah, entering the Future arc soon.

I thirst for reviews as much as I thirst for Hibari Kyoya

* * *

What do most teenage boys expect when they get home after a tiring day at school?

"Hie! What is she doing here?!" Definitely not a pretty girl sleeping on their bed. In Tsuna's case, he'd rather have Reborn greet him with the usual punch in the face than have this crazy French girl inside his house, and out of all the places she just had to crash to it was his bedroom. Great.

"Tsu-kun! You'll wake her up!" Nana shushed her son when she came in the room, tugging at him quietly as they both leave the resting girl by herself. Closing the door carefully, her mother then proceeds to explain in a worried tone,

"She immediately collapsed, Tsuna… Hansel told me she had a few broken bones…"

"Wait- who?"

"Oh, Hansel. He accompanied her all the way here."

Nana told him as they entered the living room together and there, sitting on their couch, was a thin looking guy dressed in seemingly old and tattered clothes. The said male looks up when he heard them and makes a move to introduce himself,

"H-hello there. I'm Hansel, nice to meet you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

"Don't be."

Tsuna waved off his apology, his mother welcoming strangers into their home without even knowing who they really are wasn't even surprising to him anymore. Hell, he's living with the strongest arcobaleno in the whole world, 2 small but deadly hit men, a young boy who could rank shit by talking to a star, and a hot, love-stricken woman who has a penchant for poisoning him so she could bring her lover back into the mafia world.

He would have questioned himself back then how he didn't lose his sanity yet but now, he would just laugh it off and go 'Oh sure, bring it on.' Maybe those death matches against Rokudo Mukuro and the Varia did boost his courage _and_ tolerance for the insane, he'd have to thank them later. Note: Sarcasm.

"Look, I'm really sorry for this…"

Hansel started after Tsuna motioned him to sit down,

"I don't know what's going on between you two but she kept on insisting that I bring her here, so uh- just doing my _job_. She's your problem now."

"What? I thought you're her friend!" Tsuna blurted out, Hansel pausing for a moment at his words before finally admitting it,

"I don't know her."

* * *

 _Hansel places a blanket over the unconscious girl he had found by the lake a while ago, his face scrunching up in annoyance as he tried to hold himself back. He could hardly call himself a gentleman- he scurried for food in the streets like a dirty rat, even did a lot of thieving here and there- he'd be even proud if the yard puts a big bounty on his head. He was the exact opposite of an ideal man most women would drool for, so saving this cute and rich-looking girl from the waters was very unlikely of him._

 _The thought of holding her as hostage in exchange for her family's money has crossed his mind like the low life that he is, before the girl suddenly bolts up and tightly grabs him by the collar, almost choking him in the process. Her eyes half closed, she desperately muttered in a raspy voice,_

" _H-hck… elp."_

" _Please..."_

"… _born."_

 _Was the last thing she said before completely fainting. Did that at least bring a little pang of guilt to his heart of a stone? No way, he was an independent arsehole who didn't need help from anyone nor did he care about other people's well beings, not that he understood whatever the girl said anyway. So what did make Hans change his mind?_

" _Mo… m… a."_

 _It was pathetic of him to be moved by her tears, he thought, but he did._

* * *

"She slept for a day and still hasn't fully recovered yet. The moment she woke up though, she dragged me to the airport and quickly booked us tickets for Japan. I don't know how she did it but yeah, here we are."

Hansel told him, keeping the little details to himself where he even considered leaving her behind or rob her after he was done. He didn't want to spill how much of a son of a bitch he really is, especially in the presence of someone like Sawada Nana who showed him nothing but her kindness. The woman's a saint, confirmed.

"And you did it for what?"

"Listen man, I just needed the cash, she promised me some bucks so here she is. I don't care about her business with you, as long as she does her end of the bargain then I'm outta here." Hansel says exasperatedly and Tsuna only gaped at him,

"You won't stay for the night?" Nana had this disappointed look on her face when she came back to bring her new guest a glass of refreshment, Hansel secretly sighing in relief that she only heard the last part. She was hoping that maybe they could stay a bit longer for dinner, or for tomorrow's breakfast even, hell she didn't care. She was too concerned for Louise's current condition to let them go,

"I- ah, sorry ma'm. B-but I don't..." Hansel shifted uncomfortably in his seat when Nana gave him a stern look, Tsuna's mother shaking her head in disapproval before firmly telling him,

"Nope, you guys are staying here."

"Don't even try and argue with her." Tsuna informed the dark-haired boy in a whisper, knowing that his mother wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Five people would have been too much for him already but he couldn't care less now, it wasn't like two more people joining the family would hurt.

"Dibs on the couch."

* * *

"… _Ma… man_. **(1)** " Louise mumbled when she felt someone softly caress her head, bringing a tender smile to her lips. Lightly touching the hand that was playing with her hair, she finally opened her eyes to see none other the face of a goddess that is Sawada Nana.

"You're awake, good! I was starting to get worried…" Louise blinked at her, slowly turning to her side to get up.

"Breakfast's ready down stairs and there's some change of clothes in the cabinet, umm, ah… What's your..? Um…" Nana gives her a troubled look while trying to find the right words and Louise tilts her head in confusion, before she realized it: She never told them her name.

"It's L-Louise…"

"Ah, Louise! Right, they're waiting for you."

' _They..?'_

Louise was met by a lively bunch the moment she arrived at the dining room, Reborn greeting her as soon as she took a seat across from him,

"Ciaossu! How are you feeling?" Before Louise could even respond, Ipin and Lambo were already causing mayhem as they chased each other on the table, something about the latter kid stealing the Chinese girl's food in the early morning.

"Lambo! Give back!"

"Nyehehehe, bleh!"

"Mama's omelet is the best as always, 2 out of 357!"

"Just ignore them." The beautiful woman sitting next to Reborn told her with eyes closed as she calmly continued her meal, like this was all part of their daily routine. Louise only nodded, before her attention turns to Nana when she lets out a big sigh,

"Tsuna forgot his lunch again…"

"Mama! Me! Lemme!" Lambo volunteered, raising his arms as he jumped in excitement, eager to deliver the lunch box to Namimori Middle.

"Why don't _you_ bring it, Louise?" Reborn's recommendation earned a disaproving shout from Lambo,

"Ha?! Oi Reborn! I, the Great Lambo, will-!" The poor child didn't even get to finish his sentence when Reborn kicked him away, standing directly in front of Louise after,

"U-uh, I don't mind but… I don't know where that is—"

"Don't worry, Bianchi will go with you." Reborn's _seductive_ look was enough to make Bianchi squeal like a teenage girl being confessed to by her crush and say yes,

"Anything for you~!"

"But Reborn-kun, is it alright for her to be moving around?" Nana interrupted them, quite anxious at the thought of the girl overexerting herself.

"Exercise would help her get better in no time, it's the best medicine for any sickness after all." Reborn's statement and reassurance managed to put a smile on the young woman's face,

"You're right!"

"Isn't laughter the best medicine—"

"Okay, off you go." There was something behind Reborn's commanding tone that made her shut her mouth right away, Louise silently carrying the neatly done bento as she prepared to take off with Bianchi.

"Tsuna's an idiot that tends to forget a lot of things, you'll get used to it."

* * *

"Woah, it's huge." Louise gasped in awe as she approached the open gates, it was her first time to see a real school after all since she's been home schooled her whole life. It was just one of those typical boring stuff most children were forced to do when they're born in a noble family, which sucked in Louise's honest opinion. It hindered them from enjoying what they really wanted in life and caused a lot of wasted opportunities to meet people that could make as potential life long friends.

"Tell Tsuna I said hi." Bianchi said one last time,

"Wait-!" But before Louise could even reach for the pink haired woman and ask her to guide her because she had no idea where to find this so-called Tsuna, she already disappeared along with her bike, leaving the little girl on her own. Louise stood there contemplating on her next move for she had no knowledge of the Vongola boss' whereabouts, especially in an unfamiliar place like this, where would she even start? Of course asking around was a big first step so she might as well-

"Who are you?"

The question made her slowly turn around, only to come face to face with the Almighty Hibari Kyoya. The raven haired teen looked at her with narrowed eyes, Louise gulping a bit at his intimidating stare before greeting him politely,

" _Bonjou—_ I- ah- good morning! I-I'm here to deliver something…" She immediately corrected herself, holding up the bento in her arms,

"I think it was… Sawada?" Hibari didn't bother hiding his scoff once he heard the herbivore's name, it was another member of his weak pack, he concluded when Louise gave him a soft smile.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you but I—" Louise decided to continue, only to be cut short by the chairman's words,

"No uniform, no enter policy." Hibari told her and she could only apologize in embarrassment,

"I-I- yes, I'm very sorry. I just wanted to give this to him, I promise I'll be gone after this."

"You! What are you doing here?!" Tsuna swiftly made an intervention between the two, fearing for Louise's life as the cloud guardian might bash the poor girl's head any minute now if he's in a bad mood.

Luck must have been on her side for Hibari Kyoya was merely standing there, listening to her babble without bringing out his tonfas- most of the time he'd do so and the sorry champ who managed to get on his nerves would end up in the hospital a few days later. Yup, that's the demon of Namimori for you.

"It's you! Um- I believe this is yours."

"Yo, what's up?"

"You again?!"

And soon Yamamoto and Gokudera joined the party, Hibari twitching in irritation as the four of them started crowding around him. Louise, noticing that dark look he had on, quickly handed Tsuna his lunch box and excused herself,

"Well, that's all. I guess I'll be going now."

"Huh? Don't you wanna stay for a while?" How does one make Yamamoto Takeshi shut the hell up? The number one solution Hibari came up with was to hit the baseball nut so hard he'd forget who he is. Heh, that could work.

"No, thank you. I mean I don't go here, I'm technically trespassing so…"

That alone brought a satisfied grin to Hibari Kyoya's handsome yet bastard of a face. The girl had manners and knew her place well, something he rarely encounter these days considering that almost everyone has a knack for disobeying him and his _self made_ rules.

"Oh come on, it would be fun!"

If you could describe Louise, she was someone you'd call a _kill joy_ , the girl lived by the rules all her life so how wouldn't she be? Louise hesitated, only because she didn't know how to get back to the house by herself.

"Besides it's already lunch time, we're gonna go get some sushi in my old man's place. You should definitely come!"

Did Yamamoto Takeshi just suggest that they skip school? And in front of Hibari Kyoya out of all people?

"Oi you! Stop inviting her!" Gokudera fumed while making a protective stance in front of Tsuna, oh boy he was ready to get it on if Louise starts anything that might hurt the Vongola tenth.

"Students who cut classes will be _bitten to death_."

That single phrase was enough for Tsuna to scream his head off,

"Hie! No, Hibari-san! We don't plan to!"

"He's right, I—ack! Hey!"

Yamamoto quickly grabbed her and Tsuna by their hands, leaving her no room for protests as she was roughly pulled along with them, Gokudera running hot on their tails.

"Where are you taking the boss?!"

"Hibari-san's going to kill us, Yamamoto-kun!"

"Ahaha, catch you later Hibari!"

Hibari Kyoya whipped out his tonfas, ready to hunt for his prey like the predator he is, before Kusakabe stopped him,

"Kyo-san! The student council president called for you, he says it's something very important."

The smirk Hibari wore was replaced by a scowl as soon as he heard this,

"Tsk."

* * *

"Are you sure it's all right? He seemed pretty mad." Louise pertained to the grumpy looking guy aka Hibari as she sits next to Yamamoto,

"Nah, we do it all the time."

Tsuna thought that maybe, just maybe, if he prayed hard enough, Hibari Kyoya might actually spare their lives for breaking a school rule, and he probably did. He was expecting a wild goose chase with the most dangerous person in town because of Yamamoto, releasing a cry of relief when he saw that the mad man was nowhere near behind them.

"Let's dig in!"

Yamamoto, Tsuna and Gokudera yelled in unison before picking up their chop sticks, Louise turning away awkwardly as she tried to carefully split hers in half,

"What's the problem?" Yamamoto asked when he saw her having trouble with her chop sticks and Louise could only send him a half smile,

"I don't know how to use this."

...

..

.

"Oh yeah, we never got your name, mine's Yamamoto Takeshi."

In the end, Yamamoto did manage to teach her the basics of chop sticks and how to properly eat a sushi, the two already forming a bond from what Tsuna could tell. He was hoping that this would somehow lessen Gokudera's suspicions towards the girl since he just couldn't stop glaring at her as they ate,

"Louise."

"By the way, this here's Tsuna—"

"Nice to meet you- um, Louise-san." Tsuna waved at her a little and Louise returned the gesture with a bright smile,

"Pleasure is mine, Tsuna-san."

"… and Gokudera."

Yamamoto pointed at him, taking the liberty of introducing his silver-haired friend since he wouldn't even spare Louise a glance,

"Che."

It was obvious that both have already developed a certain dislike for each other when Louise looked away with a frown, Gokudera doing the same as if it was a form of challenge. Yamamoto, who only wanted to get rid of the tension in the air and put a smile on everyone's faces, drops in a question that he would soon learn to regret,

"So... how's it going with your fiancé?"

The sound of her chop sticks hitting the floor was a good enough sign that the subject very much unnerved her to the point that she slapped herself, Tsuna and the others panicking at her sudden actions,

"Louise-san?!"

"Louise, stop it!"

"Woman what the hell?!"

The memories came back to her in a flash: her home, the people she cared for, Luka, her parents, the fire— who knew that such a short sentence like that could trigger tons of painful flashbacks? It was silly of her to deny what had happened, even trying to convince herself that everything was just some sort of nightmare that she would soon wake up to, yet the soft palm of her hand against her face felt so… real. Staring blankly at them with wide eyes, Louise asked in a shaky voice,

"I-I'm not dreaming, a-am I..?"

Tsuna, unaware of what she was currently dealing with, could do nothing but answer her truthfully,

"N-no."

His reply was all that she needed to bring her back to the reality that everything wasn't just a bad dream.

* * *

"Imbeciles!"

The long, red haired man in his early 20's furiously paced around the dimly lit room, tightly gripping his personal hand gun as he aimed it at his men,

"Not my fault boss, it was _Jerek_."

"Don't put the blame on me!"

"You threw her out of the window."

"You fucking liar!"

"You all shut up before I blow your brains off!" The man in charge threatened before storming out of the room, checking his phone as he did so when it vibrated in his pocket,

 _"Latvenko, y_ _our boys have failed not only you but me as well."_

A voice from the other line started, the said man Latvenko sighing in agreement as he quietly reloaded his favorite pistol with bullets, he already knew what was coming. Being in the _business_ means risking your own life and the others around you with no questions asked, and those in the organization knew that. That's why everyone always did their best when it comes to their jobs, there is still the matter of rankings too.

"I know, what now?" So controlling a bunch of idiots who failed a simple task such as kidnapping the next successor to a noble family was a big blow to Latvenko's pride as an officer.

 _"Do not f_ _ret, I have news."_

"A lead, I presume?"

 _"Perceptive as always, d_ _etails will be given to you by night fall."_

"What about them?"

Latvenko casually leaned against the wall, referring to his men who were still accusing each other for the unsuccessful mission,

 _"Just get the job done."_

The last thing the other man said before he ended the call. He didn't even have to ask twice to understand what he meant, Latvenko entering the room with his weapon targeting the unlucky bastards on their heads as he shrugged,

"Sorry guys, nothing personal."

* * *

 **(1)** ' _Mama'_ or _'Mother'_


End file.
